OntheCulturalDefaultinLiteraryTranslation-文档资料

1、On the Cultural Default in Literary Translation【】 Cultural default means the absence of relevant cultural background. This essay intends to address the issue from the underlying mechanism that explains the existence of this phenomenon. To strengthen its communicative value ， the essay then continues

2、 to review several ways to treat cultural default as far as translation is called into question. The discussion leads to the conclusion that the cultural turn in translation studies brings more essential factors into consideration as reflected in translators decision -making process.IntroductionIn r

3、ecent years there has been an upsurge of interest in translation studies as to how translation can be related to culture ， especially in the attempts to redefine its nature from a new light. Mary Snell Hornby“exhortslinguists to abandon their scientific attitude and to move from text as a putative t

4、ranslationunit ， toculture- a momentous step that would go far beyond the move from the word as aunit to the text ” ( Bassnett andLefevere ， 1990 ：4). The “cultural turn ” of translation studies then requires what is studied is the text embedded within its network of both source and target cultural

5、signs. Such a change certainly poses more obstacles to translators as Nida concludes that a text which only reflects the many concepts and literary canons of a particular isolated culture often includes information which is extremely difficult to understand and to translate in a distinct language-cu

6、lture （ Nida ， 2001 ：84）.I. the Nature of Cultural DefaultThe theory of schema attaches great importance to shared background knowledge or pragmatic presupposition between the sender and receiver in the process of communication. For the sake of economy and effectiveness ， shared information is usual

7、ly unsaid. If the unsaid can be traced within the text ， it is named the“contextualdefault ”. If the unsaid is culture-specific ， it is“culture default ” that hampers the understanding of receivers from an alien culture.As stressed all along ， language does not functioninisolation ； it functions in

8、actual situation of use. It is such a situation that activates the receivers memorywhich in turn manages to fill in the situation slots andsmooth over the communication between the sender and the receiver (王东风， 1997) . To guarantee the fulfillment of this specific communication process， both parts s

9、houldgive a full play of shared background knowledge or pragmatic presumption.II. Cultural DefaultReconstructed in Literary Translation ： A Paradox at PlayReading is a conversation process in which two partners (author/reader ) open themselves up to each other ， both “falling ” into the dynamics of

10、exchange. Whena uthors and source readers work together to carry out the interaction smoothly ， translators toil over the treatment of cultural defaults in the source text. What is naturally agreed between the authors and source readers seems to be a stumbling block for target readers without the wo

11、rk of translators. Translation involves the bringing into relationship of at least two sets of language rules，fore-structures ， and cultural “prejudices ” and so on ， to forge a consensus of meaning. No one can doubt that the translation of a text ， however much the translator may have felt himself

12、into his author， cannot be simply there-awakening of the original event in the mind of the writer ， but a recreation of the text that is guided by the way the translator understands what is said in it （ Gadame，r 1975：346-47 ）.Here a paradox concerning the treatment of cultural default arises. To pav

13、e the pathway for target readersunderstanding ， translators take advantage of different strategies to well compensate cultural defaults. As listed below ， there are at least four ways to deal with the problem .1. Intratextual Compensation ： Paraphrase + AnnotationExample 1 檐前老树一株，浓阴覆窗，人面俱绿，隔案游人往来不绝，

14、 此吾父稼夫公垂帘宴客处也。（ Lin Yutang ， 2004：18-19 ）By the side of the eaves ， there was an old tree which spread its green shade over the window， and made thepeople s faces look green with it ； and across the creek ， you could see people passing toand fro. This was where myfather used to entertain his guests

15、inside the bamboo-framed curtains. as there was no walls or lattices whatsoeverroundthe pavilion ； they used to hang down bamboo-framed curtains so that the dining party might not be seen by the people across the creek.2. Intratextual Compensation： ParaphraseExample 2况锦衣玉食者未必能安于荆钗布裙也。（ ibid ，134） Be

16、sides ， one who is used to beautiful dresses and nice food like her will hardly be satisfied with the lot of a poor housewife.3. Extratextual Compensation： Transliteration +AnnotationExample 3 余虽居长而行三，故上下呼芸为“三娘”；后忽呼为“三太 太”。始面戏呼，继成习惯，甚至尊卑长幼皆以“三太太”呼之。 （ibid ，124）I was born the third son of my family，

17、although theeldest ； hence they used to call Yun “san niang ” at home， but this was later suddenly changed into“santait ai. ” This bean at first in fun ， later became a general practice ， an even relatives of all ranks， highand low ， addressed her as “san t ait ai”. “ san” means “number three ”. The

18、 meaning of “niang ” and “tait ai” varies with local usage， but generally “niang ” refers to a young womani n a big household ， while “tait ai ” suggests the mistress of an independenthome.4. NaturalizationExample 4 余笑曰：“卿非解人，摸索在有意无意间耳。拥而狂探，田 舍郎之所为。”（ ibid ， 167 ） The beauty of caressing lies in doi

19、ng it naturally and half unconsciously. Only a country bumpkin will hug and caress a woman roughly.Example 5七月望，俗谓之鬼节。（ ibid ， 28）The fifteenth of the seventh moon was All Souls Day.5. Literal Translation 其形削肩长颈，瘦不露骨，眉弯目秀，顾盼神飞，唯两齿微 露，似非佳相。（ ibid ， 17 ）Of a slender figure， she had drooping shoulders

20、anda rather long neck ， slim but not to the point of being skinny. Her eyebrows were arched and in her eyes there was a look of quick intelligence and soft refinement. The only defect was that her two front teeth were slightly inclined forward ， which was not a mark of good omen.III. Concluding Rema

21、rksThe five strategies to solve cultural defaults in C-E translation clearly demonstrate the translatorlinguistic and cultural competence. But there are a lot more to get out of his decision-making process ， which will be further discussed in the third part of the essay. As far as compensation is co

22、ncerned ， a translator has to consider how much should be compensated and to what extent should compensation negotiates with the aesthetic principle of “leaving gaps ” . On the one hand ， he is to follow the four steps proposed by Ingarden to reconstruct the source text by means of gap-filling just like the five strategies listed above. Firstly ， he should be able to find out where the gaps lie in the source text ； secondly ， he is to pick up which gaps need filling in ； thirdly ， he has to decide the degree